Back or lining for fireplaces



No. 608,263. Patented Aug. 9,1898.

, J. A. mcKsoN.

BACK 0R LINING FDR FIREPLACES.

(Application Bled Jan. 26, 1898.)

(No Model.)

a iz, A

Y j. I

, SON, a citizen of the United States, residing lllivTTnn STATES PATENTrider.

JOHN ALBERT DIOKSON, OF DEPORT, TEXAS.

BACK OR LINBNG FOR FIRPLCES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 608,763, dated August9, 1898.

Application filed January Z6, 1898.

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, JOHN ALBERT DreK- at Deport, in the county of Lamarand State of Texas, have invented a new and useful Back or Lining forFireplaces, of which the following is aspeciiieation;

This invention relates to improvements in backs or linings forfireplaces oi` that class wherein the back is made in sections forapplication to and use in fireplaces of different sizes; and the objectof the invention is to provide a simple and inexpensive contrivance inwhich the parts are coupled together to provide for expansion andcontraction under the influence of the heat, but without affecting theslidable connection between the members of the structure.

With these ends in view the invention consists in thepeculiarconstruction and arrangement of parts which 'will be hereinafterfully described and claimed.

To enable others to understand the invention, I have illustrated thesame in the accompanying drawings,rforming a part of this specification,and in whichn Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved adjustableback or lining for fireplaces, the full lines representing the lining inits contracted condition and the dotted lines illustrating said back orlining in its extended position. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view onthe plane indicated by the line 2 2 of Fig. 3, looking in thedirectionindicated by the arrow. Fig. 3 is a section at right angles to Fig. 2 onthe plane indicated by the dotted line 3 3 of Fig. 2.

Like numerals of reference denote like and corresponding parts in eachof the several iigures of the drawings.

In the accompanyingdrawings l have illustrated my improved adjustablelining or back, which is designated in its entirety by the nunieral l.This back or lining consists of the sections 2 3, each of right-angularform to iit the back and sides of a fireplace, and with these sectionsare combined the adjustable janibs,that are slidably connected to thesides of the sections and are adapted to be`moved outward or inward inrelation thereto for the purpose of enablingthe back or lining to beused in iireplaces of varying depths. The

serial No. 668,035. (No moda.)

straight rear parts of the sectons..2 3 are arranged to overlap eachother, and they are slidably connected together in a manner, presentlydescribed, to provide for either eX- pansion or contraction, and therebyenable the back or lining to be used in iireplaces of different widths.The overlapped rear part-s of the right-angular sections 2 3 are coupledslidably together in a peculiar manner, which prevents accidentaldisplacement of the sections one on the other and yet provides fortheirslidable adjustment and for the expansion which may take place in thelining under the heat to which the back or lining is subjected Whenvtheireplaceis in use. The section 3 is provided on its front face withparallel ribs or flangesc 5, which are inclined in opposite directionsto each other-that is to say, the flange et is inclined in an upwarddirection and the flange 5 in a downward direction. The section 2 isprovided on its rear face with parallel grooves or channels 6 7, whichare formed therein coincident to the ribs or tongues 4 5 and arecorrespondingly shaped to the crosssectional contour of said ribs, thusenabling the ribs to iit properly in the grooves or cl1annels andconnect the two sections 2 3 together. It willbe observed that the ribsor tongues and the grooves or channels are arranged horizontally on therear parts of the sections 2 3, that they extend longitudinally of saidsections, and that the tongues are adapted to interlock loosely in thegrooves to connect the sections loosely together, permit of thehorizontal adjustment of one or both sections,f as may be desired,prevent the accidental disengagement of the sections the one from theother, and provide for the expansion or contraction of the metal under`the influence of heat and cold according as the iireplace is used ornot.

8 Qdesignate the adjustable jambs, which are fitted against the outsideof the side portions of the sections 2 3, and these jambs are providedat their front edges with the angular flanges l0, adapted to lap againstthe sides of a iireplace. Each adjustable jamb is attached to oneangular section by the inter locking ribs and grooves. The ribs 1l 12are to the ribs i 5 on the section 3.

IOO

has a pair of horizontal parallel grooves 13 14 provided in its facewhich bears against the side of the lining-section, and said grooves arearranged coincident with the ribs l1 l2, and they are shaped to conformto the crosssectional contour of said ribs. The jamb is thus adapted tobe slidably connected to the section against which it is applied, andthe peculiar form of joint between the jamb and the lining-sectionprovides for the proper sliding of the jamb on the lining withoutexposing the parts to accidental displacement and Secures the propercoupling of the jamb to the lining under the changing temperatures towhich the lining is subjected when in service.

It is well known that a metallic plate of a fireplace will when exposedto heat expand uniformly in opposite directions from a central line ofthe plate, and in the construction of my fireplace I arrange the ribs onopposite sides of the central line of the sections and incline the upperand lower ribs to extend in opposite directions, as shown in Figs. 2 and3:- This inclination of the horizontal ribs in opposite directions andtheir disposition above and below the horizontal center of the sectionsinsure uniformity in the expansion of the ribs when the sections areheated, and as the ribs are fitted loosely in the grooves or channels ofthe section 3 and jambs 8 9 the parts are joined together, so that theymay expand or contract without causing the ribs to become wedged in thegrooves or interfering with the adjustment of the sections one upon theother.

or the jambs on the sections.

I attach special importance to the employment of the oppositely-facingtapering ribs arranged parallel to each other and horizontally on thelining as well as to the grooves or channels that conform to thecross-sectional shape of the ribs and loosely receive the same in orderto couple the parts slidably together. By having the tongues or ribs andthe channels taper and incline in opposite directions the movable partsare prevented from accidental separation. The

metal, when expanded under the influence of the heat, does not cause theribs or tongues to bind tightly in the grooves or channels, and theseveral parts of the lining or back may be adjusted as desired infireplaces of .masonry of the fireplace.

different sizes. tions 2 3 may be drawn outwardly or shoved inwardly toaccommodate the back or lining to replaces of different widths and thatthe jambs or either of them may be adjusted horizontally on the sides ofthe back or lining to properly fit the latter in fireplaces of differentdepths.

My improved lining is thus adaptable to fireplaces of any ordinary size,and it affords substantial protection to the brickwork or The improvedconstruction is simple, inexpensive, durable, and readily applied to anyordinary fireplace, and this simple construction recommends thestructure to house-owners because of the protection it affords tofireplaces.

It is evident that changes in the form and proportion of parts may bemade by a skilled mechanic without departing from the spirit orsacrificing the advantages of the invention.

Having thus described the invention, what I, claim is- The adjustablefireplace-lining comprising the right-angular sections, 2, 3, lappingeach other at their inner ends, the upwardly-inclined ribs, 4, l1,arranged at the back and end of the section, 2, and the end of thesection, 3, above the horizontal center of the lining, thedownwardly-inclined ribs, 5, l2, on the back and end of section, 2, andat the end of section, 3, below the horizont-al center of said lining,the inclined grooves in the lapped face of the section, 3, to looselyreceive the ribs, 4, 5, and the flanged jambs, l0, overlapping the endsof the sections, 2, 3, and having grooves which receive the ribs, ll,l2, of said sections; all the parts of the lining being slidably unitedby joints which expand in opposite directions uniformly from thehorizontal central line of the lining, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

JOHN ALBERT DICKSON.

Witnesses:

FRANK M. BIsHor, CHAs. A. VETETE.

It is evident that the sec-

